Structural and Physical Properties of New Conducting Cation Radical Salts with Te-Based Counteranions, Tetraiodotellurate(II) and Hexaiododitellurate(II)

This article reports preparation, structure, and conducting property of several cation radical salts of organic donors tetramethyltetrathiafulvalene (TMTTF), ethylenedithiotetrathiafulvalene (EDT-TTF), bis(ethylenedithio)tetrathiafulvalene (ET), bis(ethylenedithio)tetraselenafulvalene (BETS) and hexamethylenetetraselenafulvalene (HMTSF) with two novel planar Te-based dianions, TeI₄²⁻ and Te₂I₆²⁻. (ET)₅Te₂I₆ 1 and (BETS)₅Te₂I₆ 2 are isostructural. In these Te₂I₆²⁻ salts, intermolecular short I···I contacts form a supramolecular corrugated anion sheet. Donor arrangement is similar to the θ-type. With lowering temperature, the resistivity of 1 shows a gradual increase followed by a sharp upturn at 110 K. 2 is metallic down to 120 K and shows a gradual increase of the resistivity followed by a clear transition to an insulating state around 60 K. Crystal structure of (ET)₄TeI₄ 3 is based on the “herring bone” arrangement of ET molecules similar to the α-type. 3 shows a semiconductive behavior around room temperature followed by a transition to an insulating state at 210 K. (EDT-TTF)₄TeI₄ 4, a semiconductor, exhibits a unique two-dimensional arrangement of dimerized EDT-TTF molecules.     

Specific heat of single crystal MgB2: a two-band superconductor with two different anisotropies

Heat-capacity measurements of a 39 microg MgB2 single crystal in fields up to 14 T and below 3 K allow the determination of the low-temperature linear term of the specific heat, its field dependence, and its anisotropy. Our results are compatible with two-band superconductivity, the band carrying the smaller gap being isotropic, that carrying the larger gap having an anisotropy of approximately 5. Three different upper critical fields are thus needed to describe the superconducting state of MgB2.     

Direct spectroscopic observation of multiple-charged-ion acceleration by an intense femtosecond-pulse laser

We have observed evidence of the emission of energetic He-and H-like ions of fluorine more than 1 MeV produced via the optical field ionization (OFI) from a solid target irradiated by an intense I=(2-4)x10(18) W/cm(2) (60 fs, lambda=800 nm), obliquely incident p-polarized pulse laser. The measured blue wing of He(alpha), He(beta), and Ly(alpha) lines of fluorine shows a feature of the Doppler-shifted spectrum due to the self-similar ion expansion dominated by superthermal electrons with the temperature T(h) approximately 100 keV. Using a collisional particle-in-cell simulation, which incorporates the nonlocal-thermodynamic-equilibrium ionization including OFI, we have obtained the plasma temperature, line shape, and maximal energy of accelerated ions, which agree well with those determined from the experimental spectra. The red wing of ion spectra gives the temperature of bulk plasma electrons.     

Unusual resistivity broadening in the mixed state of NdBa2Cu3O7−δ crystals grown by a crystal-pulling technique

In order to clarify the origin of a strong peak effect in the magnetization curve of NdBa₂Cu₃O_7−δ crystals, we investigated the superconductivity transition behavior of the in-plane resistivity in static magnetic fields up to 8 T. Comparing the results for the samples exhibiting and not exhibiting the peak effect, we found that the former (peak effect sample) shows lower resistivity above the vortex melting temperature. This implies that the pinning force is effective in the vortex liquid state. We also found that the normal state resistivity behaviors of some samples were unusual, indicating inhomogeneous current flow. These results suggest an existence of sheet-like pinning centers perpendicular to the conduction planes.     

Muon spin relaxation studies of magnetic-field-induced effects in high-Tc superconductors

Muon spin relaxation measurements in high transverse magnetic fields [FORMULA: SEE TEXT] revealed strong field-induced quasistatic magnetism in the underdoped and Eu-doped (La,Sr)2CuO4 and La1.875Ba0.125CuO4, existing well above Tc and TN. The susceptibility counterpart of Cu spin polarization, derived from the muon spin relaxation rate, exhibits a divergent behavior towards T approximately 25 K. No field-induced magnetism was detected in overdoped La1.81Sr0.19CuO4, optimally doped Bi2212, and Zn-doped YBa2Cu3O7.     

Softening of Cu-O bond stretching phonons in tetragonal HgBa2CuO4+delta

Phonons in nearly optimally doped HgBa(2)CuO(4+delta) were studied by inelastic x-ray scattering. The dispersion of the low-energy modes is well described by a shell model, while the Cu-O bond stretching mode at high energy shows strong softening towards the zone boundary, which deviates strongly from the model. This seems to be common in the hole-doped high-T(c) superconducting cuprates, and, based on this work, not related to a lattice distortion specific to each material.     

Electrodynamics of the vortex lattice in untwinned YBaCuO by complex impedance measurements

We report complex impedance measurements in an untwinned YBaCuO crystal. Our broad frequency range covers both the quasi static response and the resistive response of the vortex lattice. It allow us to characterize the irreversibility line without the need of any frequency dependent pinning parameters. We confirm the validity of the two modes model of vortex dynamic, and extract both the surface critical current and the flux flow resistivity around the first order transition T_m. This latter is identified by the abrupt loss of pinning and by an unexpected step of (T) at T_m. Received 22 November 2002 / Received in final form 17 February 2003 Published online 20 June 2003 RID="a" ID="a"e-mail: alain.pautrat@ismra.fr RID="b" ID="b"UMR 6508 associée au CNRS     

Transverse josephson plasma mode in T* cuprate superconductors

A transverse optical plasma mode is observed at far-infrared frequencies within the superconducting gap region by measuring the c-axis optical reflectivity for single crystals of T* cuprate superconductors SmLa0.85Sr0.15CuO4-delta and Nd1.4Sr0.4Ce0.2CuO4-delta. These T* cuprates have two different insulating layers sandwiching the superconducting CuO2 planes, leading to two longitudinal plasmons. Also, the transverse mode is directly observed due to the coupling of the infrared radiation with the current perpendicular to the superconducting layers which are regarded as an alternating array of two inequivalent Josephson junctions.